On Tuesday we saw claims filtering around Europe that Manchester City and Arsenal both want Andres Iniesta.
Tracing it back to Spanish newspaper AS, we had a read, pulled faces at the screen, and assumed it would all blow over, given there didn’t appear much in the confused claims.
Well, it hasn’t blown over. It’s spreading wider, like an Iniesta flood swallowing up all the rumour outlets, and AS have even included it in their Wednesday newspaper.
Therefore, it’s time to take a closer look and explain exactly what is claimed.
Given how confused and seemingly contradictory the claims are, let’s use bullet points.
- The headline is a rather ballsy ‘Pep Guardiola persuades Iniesta to go to City’
- The subheadline is ‘Arsenal and PSG will tempt him not to go to Chinese football’
- With Barca allowing him to move where he wants, it’s then stated ‘China seems to be the safe destination of Andres Iniesta’
- AS then say ‘The City of Guardiola could enter the bidding for the Spanish midfielder.’
- Then ‘Arsenal, if they finally sign Luis Enrique as a substitute for Wenger, would also be interested.’
- AS then go over the big likelihood of a China move and ponder if anything else is even possible, before adding ‘City and PSG are on the lookout’
- It’s then stated Iniesta could even move to China and use it as a leapfrog to to City or PSG, and AS add: ‘Sources assure that he is taking time to announce his future because several clubs, including the City of Guardiola, are pressing to convince him to sign with them.’
So, to recap: Guardiola is persuading Iniesta, but then it’s only a ‘could’ that Manchester City would make an approach, Arsenal ‘will tempt him’ but then that’s totally dependent on them taking on Enrique, and AS guessing his intentions right. It may not be possible anyway, but despite a few sentences earlier saying City ‘could enter the bidding’, it’s finished off by saying the club are now ‘pressing’.
Make of all that what you will.
